Popular methods of information access and retrieval using the Internet or other computer networks can be time-consuming and complicated. A user must frequently wade through vast amounts of information provided by an information source or web site in order obtain a small amount of relevant information. This can be time-consuming, frustrating, and, depending on the access method, costly. A user is required to continuously identify reliable sources of information and, if these information sources are used frequently, repeatedly access these sources.
Current methods of accessing information stored on computer networks, such as Wide Area Networks (WANs), Local Area Network (LANs) or the Internet, require a user to have access to a computer. While computers are becoming increasingly smaller and easier to transport, using a computer to access information is still more difficult than simply using a telephone. Since speech recognition systems allow a user to convert his voice into a computer-usable message, telephone access to digital information is becoming more and more feasible. Voice recognition technology is growing in its ability to allow users to use a wide vocabulary. Further, such technology is quite accurate when a single, known user only needs to use a small vocabulary.
Therefore, a need exists for an information access and retrieval system and method that allows users to access frequently needed information from information sources on networks by using a telephone and simple speech commands.